Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience disadvantage across a range of socio-economic indicators. There is strong evidence from Australia and other developed countries that low socio-economic status is associated with poor health and increased exposure to a range of health risk factors.

General health

In the 2004-05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS), conducted by the ABS, just over three-quarters of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over assessed their health as good, very good or excellent while 22% reported their health as fair or poor. After adjusting for differences in the age structure between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous people were almost twice as likely to report their health as fair or poor.

Long-term conditions

Around two-thirds (65%) of Indigenous people had at least one long-term health condition in 2004-05 (table 11.30). While Indigenous and non-Indigenous people overall were equally likely to report a long-term condition, the prevalence of long-term condition(s) was higher among Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians in the age groups from 25-54 years.

Eye/sight problems (30%), asthma (15%), back and disc disorders (13%), heart/circulatory diseases (12%) and ear/hearing problems (12%) were the most commonly reported long-term health conditions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2004-05. In addition, 6% of Indigenous people reported diabetes mellitus and 2% reported kidney disease. After adjusting for differences in the age structure between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous people were more than ten times as likely as non-Indigenous people to have kidney disease, three times as likely to have diabetes, and one and a half times as likely to have asthma.

Based on self-reported height and weight information collected in the 2004-05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS), six in ten Indigenous adults were overweight (29%) or obese (31%), similar to non-Indigenous adults (rate ratio of 1.2) (table 11.30). The proportion of Indigenous adults who smoked regularly (usually one or more cigarettes a day) was also high at 50%, and more than twice the rate for non-Indigenous adults.

Alcohol consumption risk levels are based on National Health and Medical Research Council 2001 (NHMRC) guidelines for risk of harm in the short and long-term. In the 2004-05 NATSIHS, around half of all Indigenous adults (49%) reported having consumed alcohol in the week prior to being surveyed, and 16% reported drinking at long-term risky/high risk levels. In addition, one in five Indigenous adults (19%) reported drinking at short-term risky/high risk levels at least once a week in the last 12 months, double the rate reported by non-Indigenous adults.